House passes new domestic violence legislation

WASHINGTON D.C. >> Today, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) passed House of Representatives with a vote of 286-138.

The bill had faced opposition because it did not clearly define who would benefit from aid after domestic violence. Republican Congressman Richard Hanna has been in support of the bill for months, urging other republican leaders to pass the legislation.

"If a daughter, sister or perfect stranger was raped, battered or needed help, no one would ask or care what her ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation was before we came to her aid. Nor should the Violence Against Women Act," Hanna said Wednesday while addressing the house. "No community, and no person, should be neglected when it comes to domestic violence."

The original VAWA expired in 2011 after setting up services like the Domestic Violence Hotline and funding shelters for women that had suffered from domestic violence. The bill was rewritten to include protections for stalking, spyware and video surveillance. The new language also gives members of the LGBT community, Native Americans and immigrants access to services provided by the bill.